Joseph Being Sold By His Brothers by Johann Friederich  Overbeck ( 1789 - 1869 )

I read Mann's "Joseph and his brothers" to my three year old daughter. Well, a condensed version of it, to be honest.

She had been attracted by the cover of the pinguin paperback edition depicting Joseph dragged away by the nomads who delivered him from the pit. In a move with his arm he seemed to brush away some tears.

My daughter looked disturbed by the picture and asked me what was the matter with the child. I stopped reading, closed the book took her on my lap and I went with her over the details .

That was the pit, and here was Joseph, there the naughty brothers, there were camels because it happened in a country far far away, and so on...

And so I continued until I ended up by telling her the whole beautiful story of Joseph and his brothers.